Finding Family Under Falling Skies
by FreckledWriter
Summary: What if Tom hadn't fallen in love with Anne, but with another woman? Sarah Waters is a smart woman who is putting all that she has into keeping the children safe and in keeping humanity alive in the broken world of Falling Skies. She's not afraid of Weaver or Pope. She may be falling in love with Tom. (Set in season one.)
1. Chapter 1

Author: Freckled Writer

Rating: T

Pairing: Tom/Other Character

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own anything that is Falling Skies.

Summary: What if Tom hadn't fallen in love with Anne, but with another woman? Sarah Waters is a smart woman who is putting all that she has into keeping the children safe and in keeping humanity alive in the broken world of Falling Skies. She understands Pope and Weaver, but does she have feelings for them? Does she love Tom? (Set in season one.)

Note: I am shocked at the lack of love stories for Tom, so I'm going to create some. This fic is set in Season 1 after Ben is back and before Tom gets onto the Spaceship. This first chapter may seem a little slow but that is because I have to introduce you to a new character. Please leave a review!

* * *

**The 2nd Mass had fallen into a routine in the weeks they had been sheltering in the JFK High School**. They had made up shifts and took turns cooking, washing the clothing, and teaching the children. They had decided who was best at caring for the small children, and who was best at going out on recon missions with the soldiers. Occasionally they switched if someone was getting tired of watching the kids, then the civilians who had been going out to look for food would trade them for a while.

Tom Mason had just finished his debriefings for the day. It was late, already getting dark, and he was wondering where his youngest son was. Ben was probably already in his bed reading a book, while Hal was most definitely asleep as he would be waking up at 6am to walk the perimeter. Tom was not at all surprised to find his son Matt with Sarah Waters in the old English classroom. It was where she had made permanent beds for the small children she was so often in charge of. There were seven children with no parents or guardians, and Sarah did most of the looking after them. They had split up the orphan children when the split up the groups of resistance fighters in Boston. The children were their future and had to be taken care of.

He walked over to the circle of small children and touched Matt lightly on the back. When Matt looked backwards at his father, Tom wordlessly nodded his head to the left, signaling that it was time to go bed down. "Wait Dad! Sarah is just about to tell us a new story and I want to hear it!"

Sarah had taken to telling the seven orphan children stories at night before bed. She would find a spot for all of them to sleep, and then tell them a short story. She tucked them all in one by one, she always made sure they had blankets, and then she would bed down close by so that the ones who had nightmares or tummy troubles could find her easily when they needed comfort. Tom smiled and said "Alright." He looked up just in time to see a grin of relief come across Sarah's face. She quickly turned her face to the children and began.

"Okay. Now I told you all, that if you were good today, and if you behaved, that I would tell you a new story. Well, you all did really well today, so... who would like to hear a story about Snow-White and Rose-Red?"

One of the older children groaned, "Don't you mean Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?"

'No! This is a new story about two sisters. It is by the Brothers Grimm, not Walt Disney." The children seemed intrigued so Sarah told them all about this new Snow-White and her sister. "There was once a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage. In front of the cottage was a garden where stood two rose bushes, one of which bore white roses and the other red roses. She had two children who were like the two rose bushes, and one was called Snow-white, and the other Rose-red. They were as good and happy..."

Tom listened to her soft southern voice. She had been visiting Boston with her husband, walking the Freedom Trail, when freedom was given a swift blow to the core. She and her son Conner had made it to safety, but her husband had been hit by flying debris when the Mechs opened up for the first time. She was originally from Arkansas and the twang hadn't faded in the few months she had been hiding in Boston with their resistance group. There was also a kindness that was ever present in her voice and he was sure the children could hear it.

His wife had also had that in her voice. She had been very good with their boys. He had taken his cue from her when they were small and hoped that he was kind enough now that she was gone. They asked so much of the children now. Sarah was constantly telling the men, like Tom and Dan Weaver, 'they're just children' while telling the kids 'you are ready for this, you can do this'.

She had pulled Tom aside on more than one occasion to ask him if he thought taking his 17 year old out on missions to retrieve food was a good idea. He had replied that Hal would go with or without him, and he preferred his son to be with him so that he could protect him. He had told her that he knew Matt would be safe in the compound with her, and he was thankful that she was there to watch over him while he was gone. She had relented and not bothered him again.

She often annoyed Weaver with her questions about why things were done the way they were, but it was refreshing to Tom. Sarah was a smart woman who did not hesitate to question and to sometimes give answers. Weaver would never admit that he was grateful for Sarah's intrusions during their meetings, but Tom was. Her suggestions had saved them time and resources on multiple occasions.

She was a small woman at 5'2 and she barely weighed anything, as the weeks of marching had taken a toll on her body. She was covered in freckles and often wore a green shirt that enhanced her Irish looks. Her red hair shined like fire in the sun, even with baths being in short supply. It entranced several of the men in their resistance group. But she seemed to be caught up in mourning her husband and had kept to herself.

Tom tried to quiet his mind as he laid down in his cot. He would need his rest for tomorrow. They were running low on supplies again and Ben had begun to like going out on scouting missions. He was hoping to get Weaver to pick someone other than his kids this time.

* * *

Weaver had decided to send Anthony, Dai, Tector and John out to a small town to see if anything more could be found at a Dollar General Store. He was not sure that he wanted to send Ben along. Tom was trying to convince Ben that he did not need to go, that a smaller group made for a quiet group, which would help the group make it back. Also Ben needed to practice some more and become an expert shot with a rifle before he went out on such a long mission. Right now he was only a 'good shot.' Tom's patronizing speech was interrupted by a soft voice that made Captain Weaver groan in annoyance.

"What if someone who was an expert shot with a rifle went with them and Ben just carried her pack?" The men all looked toward the classroom door to see Sarah smiling a 'aren't I cute' smile.

"Are you seriously, going to try to convince me, that you're an expert shot, with a rifle?" Weaver's slow cadence said that he was losing patience, but Sarah had just begun. "My Grandpa was labeled as an expert shot in the Army and he taught his sons to shoot, and one of them taught me." Weaver stared at her blankly. "My Dad. My Dad taught me. I'm a good shot."

"Sarah, I don't care if _you _taught snipers how to shoot. _You_ are not going." Weaver stood up from behind his desk and was going to continue but Sarah interjected again. "Because I'm a woman? _Cuz_ you never send women out on scouting missions, and then the men never come back with the right tampons or shirts or underwear or baby bottles or - "

"Stop." Weaver held up his hand and closed his eyes. "Now I know, that sometimes the boys get confused, when you ladies ask for... specific things. But you just have to be reasonable. There is only going to be so much left inside of these stores. Others have passed through, and they've been picked over."

Sarah was frowning and showing no sign of backing down. "We're tired of it! They always managed to search long enough to find ammo and pain meds and boots. But they never bring back the right sippy cups or _any _toys. The kids would be calmer and happier if they had toys to distract them. I want to go one time. They can take me _one _time."

All of the men including Tom were staring at the floor or fiddling with their guns. No one was looking at Captain Weaver and only Ben dared to look Sarah's way. Weaver took a deep breath. Tom was afraid he was going to yell or say something awful when Anthony suddenly spoke up.

"She does have a point. Some of the women actually yelled at us last time we came back with pajamas instead of regular shirts. And I have no idea what kind of toys to get for a seven year old, or a ten year old, and we can only get a couple. Maybe... She should go with us one time."

Weaver was staring at Anthony with an open mouth. He couldn't believe the former cop, and reserve guard, had just agreed to take a tiny spitfire of a woman on an overnight mission. Then Ben spoke.

"If she can go then I should get to go. I'm way stronger now and I have great eyesight, and I can run further than most of the guys here without getting tired." Tom shook his head no. He was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. Then Dai spoke which surprised everyone.

"Actually, he did help us last time. He heard that Mech before we did. And he didn't get tired or whine. He kept up with us. I don't mind Ben coming."

"Okay. So a _child _with no training can go, but a grown woman who grew up on a farm with guns...?" Sarah raised her eyebrows as she spoke and looked back and forth between Dai and Weaver. Weaver threw up his arms as he rounded the desk.

"You know what? I don't care. It's you guys sticking out your necks and dragging them along. You want to take a woman and a kid with you, go ahead! Just don't drag any Mechs or Skitters back with you."

Weaver stomped out of the room. He had barely made it to the door when Sarah smiled at Ben.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: I am shocked at the lack of love stories for Tom, so I'm going to create some. This fic is set in Season 1 after Ben is back and before Tom gets onto the Spaceship. Review and tell me what you think so far! I am going to do at least 5 chapters so make sure to press follow!

**Chapter Two**

Sarah had grabbed an Army jacket that was too big for her, off of a young dead soldier months before. She had heard that the homeless often made air pockets inside their clothes, or stuffed their clothes with newspapers to keep warm on the streets. She had tested this theory and it had proven true. She emptied her backpack of everything except five granola bars, a strip of beef jerky and a plastic water bottle. She had also hoarded some small band-aides, a tube of triple antibiotic Neosporin, a small bottle of Aleve, a clot stopping pack, and three small packets of burn ointment.

She was carrying a big folding knife with a four inch blade and a tube of cherry Chapstick in her right hip pocket. In the left pocket were her last three ponytail holders, two barrettes and a girly Swiss Army knife which had a nail file, scissors and a tooth pick, along with a one inch blade. She had a piece of paper in her right back pocket that had sizes for the kids and women in their community.

She had left her other belongings wrapped in her blanket near the children's beds. They had promised to watch her bundle of things and to go to sleep without complaining while she was gone. Her son had been brave and hadn't cried. They had been together every day for eight months, so it was hard for Sarah to say goodbye to him. Connor had seen his Mom be strong and brave, braver than he thought possible, in these last few months. She was determined, and he was proud that she was the Mom that was going to go get stuff for everybody.

The regular soldiers had their packs, which were light right now, so that they had room to bring back supplies. Ben walked with an almost empty backpack that had a canteen hooked onto the handle on top of the bag. The soldiers had AKs. Ben had a nine millimeter hand gun strapped to his thy. Tom had agreed that he needed a weapon, so they had found a small side arm and Ben had borrowed his Dad's holster.

They were close enough to see the buildings of the town, but were not inside the city limits, when Ben held up his hand. It was a signal to stop and go quiet. Sarah could feel the pace of her heart beat pick up. She gripped her Model Five Remington Rifle tight. She blew a breath out through her mouth, trying to slow her heart rate and remain calm. She had decided that no matter how bad things got, she was going to retain a look of calm. She would speak quietly and not rush to do anything. She would get herself and her team members home. Then after it was all over and the kids were in bed, she could go outside and cry.

They could all hear the rumble of a heavy Mech walking nearby. Ben held his hand sideways indicating 'right' and looked at Anthony. Anthony nodded and the whole group ran under some short Popular trees to hide. After seven minutes a Mech marched by, and they waited another five minutes before they moved out from under the trees. It had been far enough away that it hadn't seen them. They had started out at 5am, before daybreak, because they all knew the roads near the school. When the sun finally came up the path was starting to look unfamiliar to Sarah. It was now near 4 pm and they were finally to their destination.

When they reached the Dollar General Store it looked fine on the outside, none of the doors or windows were even cracked. The shelves were still all in place, but most of them were empty. Sarah bypassed the front and headed to the middle of the store. She hadn't been the only one to come looking for baby supplies but there were still bottles, diapers, and sippy cups left. She picked up three sippy cups that were for two year olds and a few bottles and a large pack of pacifiers. Most of the kids she looked after were too big for sippy cups, but she was taking some back. It was always stressful if they spilled something because there was not enough food to waste.

Ben had followed her. "I can carry stuff for you Sarah. I'm really strong. Just tell me what you think the kids need." Sarah nodded at him and started making a pile on one of the half empty shelves. She was relieved to find so many things still in plastic wrap which would make them basically sanitary. After she had looked things over she told Ben to wait there with the stuff, but not to pack anything yet. She went to the clothing aisle and was surprised to see how much was still there. She took the list of sizes out of her back pocket and checked the sizes. She started pulling clothes off of the hangers, trying to find colors that would look good on the people who needed them.

Dai and Anthony were looking at the food. There was not much left, but there were a few jars of Alfredo sauce, a few boxes of penne noodles and other odds and ends. Tector was keeping watch and John was looking at the medicines and vitamins. He found several bottles of One-A-Day vitamins and a few bottles of vitamin B and other vitamins. They would be helpful since they did not have much food to choose from. The Tylenol was all gone, but there was still some Benadryl and other needed medicines.

Sarah had pulled some shirts, and had rolled them up tight and had Ben push them down in his backpack. She rolled three undershirts then handed them to Ben along with three packs of socks and six packs of underwear to put on top of them. There were no blue jeans left, but she had found a new pair of tennis shoes for herself and a pair of men's tennis shoes for Uncle Scott. She put some of the baby stuff on top of the clothes in the bag and tied the tennis shoes together, through the backpack's straps, by the laces.

"Are you sure that's not too heavy?" Sarah made Ben stand up and walk down the aisle and back. He didn't seem to mind the load at all. She was going to try to take as much as she could carry.

She put the rest of the baby stuff in her pack. They had managed to find some baby Bjorn's and took one of those and a few plastic animals that would make the smallest children grin. There had been basketballs and other sports balls at the school, but the kids needed lovies. Most of the stuffed animals were gone but there was a palomino horse that Sarah knew six year old Callie would like. She added that to her pack.

She still had some room so she stuffed pocket sized packs of Kleenexes on top. She put a couple bags of hard candy and their food supply that they had brought with them, in the outside pockets of her backpack. Ben's pack had barely zipped and was so full they could not use the outside pockets on it. Dai had filled his pack up with toilet paper and hand towels. Paper towels were not worth the trouble, because of their bulk, so they had just been washing towels and reusing them. Anthony walked up to them.

"I found all of the food there was to find. I filled my pack, and put a bunch of towels and some forks and spoons in Tector's pack. It looks like you guys found the baby stuff you were looking for. Did you find some small toys?" Anthony asked after looking at how full Sarah and Ben's packs were.

"Yes, are both of those packs _completely_ full?" Sarah replied.

"Yeah. How about you John?" Anthony asked as John approached them.

"I've got a little bit of room. What do you want to put in it?" Sarah and Anthony looked thoughtful for a moment. Anthony stayed quiet and waited for Sarah to respond.

"Well... It's so hard to decide! There is so much we need but I don't know what's more important: more eating utensils, toilet paper, clothes or drinking glasses."

Anthony smiled. "Now you know how it is. I see the potential for all of this stuff, but it is hard to decide what we need most. I know people are needing shirts, and I know we could use more cups to drink out of. Is there anything else that people are having trouble doing without?"

Sarah thought back to the numerous complaints and amount of whining she had been listening to for the past few weeks. People had learned that she was not afraid to go to Weaver and speak to him. She and Dr. Glass had been the only civilians willing to go into his office area and ask for things. They had talked with Tom as well, but he was conflicted. The soldiers were first priority, and needed to be ready to take on the aliens. They were pretty well stocked up, so now it was time to make the civilians more comfortable.

"I think some more clothes are probably the right call. If people want clean glasses to drink out of, they are going to have to wash them. We have glasses, we don't have enough clothes. Wearing what we have over and over is making them fall apart." Sarah put a pack of men's underwear and two packs of children's underwear in John's backpack. Then she dumped three boxes of tampons down inside of the bag, because the boxes themselves were too hard to fit inside the pack.

Ben had gone with Anthony and Dai, to check on Tector, and to listen for Mechs and Skitters. When Sarah and John got to the door, Tector said it was quiet and now was the time to get out of town. They took off and made it back to the stand of trees safely.

"Well, did you get baby stuff? Do you think the women will be happier now?" Tector was one of the few people in the 2nd Mass that also had a southern accent.

"Yes I do." replied Sarah. "Should we head out and walk as far as we can walk tonight, or should we stop at that stream that is just a little ways back?" She looked around at the faces.

"Stopping at the stream and getting some energy back is probably the best idea. There were some big Birch trees there that would be good to sleep under." Tector said while turning to look at Anthony.

"Sounds good to me, I don't know that I saw a better camping spot." No one else said anything so Anthony said "Alright" and took off to lead them back, while Tector faded back to make sure nothing snuck up behind them. John, Ben and Sarah walked in the middle of everyone since they had the fullest packs.

Sarah was relieved and hopeful. They had gotten supplies and only seen one Mech. The men had not only been tolerant of her, but nice. She hoped the night would be uneventful as well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Tom decided to take out the trash from the kitchen. He remembered how at home, he had made Hal do it as soon as he was big enough to put the bags in the can outside. He had changed a lot since Rebecca had died. He hoped it was for the better. Tom tried to tell himself that his taking out the trash was just him being helpful, and not him finding a reason to walk outside for the 5th time that morning. Ben and Sarah were with a group of very capable men. They would be fine.

He lingered for a moment, looking down the road once again. He had just turned his head when he caught movement. He walked further out into the street. Yes! It was them. Everyone looked fine. Tired maybe, but fine. They were walking slowly under the heavy packs. Sarah had definitely loaded them all down. Tom smiled a big smile. Weaver would never hear the end of this. Tom was willing to bet that yesterday's food scout would not be the last time that Sarah went along.

"Dad!" Shouted Ben. Tom walked out to meet them. Anthony was smiling. "Well, I think we got enough stuff to make people happy for a while."

"Good. What all did you get?" asked Tom looking at Anthony and then Sarah. Now that he had gotten closer he noticed Sarah looked very tired. Anthony rattled off some off what they had as they all walked back to the entrance of the High School.

"Your son did good by the way." Anthony said. Tector chimed in "Yeah, he heard the one Mech that we saw coming and we managed to avoid it. He also has a heavy pack and hasn't whined a bit."

Tom smiled. "Well if he did a good job, and didn't slow you guys down, or cause any problems, then maybe he can go next time as well." Ben's smile was huge.

The children had been waiting for Sarah and ran to her as soon as she was down the first hallway. She grabbed her son Connor and hugged him hard, then hugged the other seven children as well. Tom could tell that she was choking back tears. He remembered what it was like the first time he had left the boys in the care of others to go on a scouting mission for food. It had been hard.

"Matt said they all played well while you were gone." Tom offered. Sarah took off her backpack and unzipped a front pocket. "Well then, you can all have ONE piece of candy." She pulled out some Werther's Original Carmel candies and the children squealed with delight. Candy and sweets were rare now.

"Why don't you kids go eat those in the study hall while Sarah puts the rest of this stuff up?" Tom knew that Sarah needed to be debriefed before she could start passing out the rest of what they had retrieved. "Here, let me take that. I know you've had a long walk." Tom took the backpack, and it _was_ heavy.

"Thanks. My back is killing me, but I managed to get some stuff for the kids." Sarah smiled a tired smile and looked up at Tom. He smiled back.

"It _feels_ like you did a good job. Let's go see Weaver."

* * *

Sarah was walking down to the nearby creek to get more water to boil. To wash clothes and dishes they had to take turns walking to the creek, getting a bucket of water and bringing it back to the school. Once they got it to the school, the water was dumped into a big metal pot which set over the fire that they kept burning in front of the school.

She has just reached the bank when she heard screaming. "Quit being a baby! You gotta learn sometime and people learn best under pressure." Hal had Matt in his arms and was trying to throw him into the creek. Matt had a death grip on Hal's t-shirt and was screaming "No!" Ben stood nearby looking unsure of himself.

"Stop right now! That is _enough!" _screamed Sarah. She sat down her bucket and stomped toward Hal. Hal and Ben froze but Matt kept screaming, "Sarah help me! I don't know how to swim, don't let him throw me in!"

"Put him down. What are you doing? You don't teach someone to swim by throwing them in a moving body of water!" Sarah was very angry. Ben was standing still, he had never seen her angry before. Hal, ever the smooth talker, put Matt down and tried to explain.

"That's how lots of people learn. And he... does good under pressure." Hal was trying to come up with more reasons as to why scaring his brother was a good idea, but Sarah cut him off.

"That is not how you teach a person to swim! That's how you make a person scared of the water for life." Matt had ran to her and she put her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He replied in a shaky voice. "I think I'm ready to go back now."

"Well, you should know how to swim. You never know when you'll need to. I can teach you. I'll get in the water with you and hold onto you until you can float by yourself." Sarah was talking in her regular soft voice again. But Matt wasn't too sure.

"I don't know. Are you sure you can keep me from going under?"

"The river isn't even that deep you... It isn't that deep." Said Hal. Sarah threw him a dark look and he stayed quiet.

"What if I go in with you too? You know I won't drop you. Or let you float away." Ben was trying to make up to his little brother. Matt looked skeptical then said, "You promise?"

"I swear." Ben said. Hal shook his head and began to walk away. Sarah stopped him "What are you supposed to be doing right now?"

"Nothing, I'm off today. Well, watching my brothers for Dad." Hal said. Sarah walked over to the bucket, picked it up, and handed it to Hal. "Take a bucket of water back to the school. Your brothers and I will be along shortly."

Hal filled the bucket full of water, and then walked off, looking dejected. Sarah took her shoes off and told the boys to do the same. They stepped down into the water, with Ben standing on the downstream side of Matt. They found a shallow area where Matt was only up to his waist. Sarah took the time to let Matt calm down. She started with getting him to just put his face under the water.

* * *

"It was fun. Can we go again tomorrow?" Matt was excitedly telling his Dad about swim lessons with Sarah. Tom couldn't believe what he was hearing. Hal had almost thrown his baby in the creek, and Sarah had taught his baby to swim. Or at least she had started to. He should have been doing that, but he was short on time being Weaver's Second in Command.

"Maybe. Maybe I'll take you. I might be able to get away for a little while. We haven't seen Skitters in a couple of days." Tom said. Matt looked hopeful. "Okay. Can Sarah still come?"

"Why not? Finish your food, we'll see how tomorrow shakes out." Tom thought the idea of seeing Sarah all wet sounded good. He didn't have time to be starting a relationship, but looking never hurt anyone.

* * *

"Watch Dad!" Matt yelled again. "I'm watching son." Tom was glad he had made time to come down and watch Matt swim. His was really enjoying himself. If he was being honest with himself, he was watching Sarah as much as he was watching Matt. But she hadn't seemed to notice. Her olive green shirt clung to her as she came in and out of the water. She had jean shorts on that were also clinging. Tom noticed that she still had some curves; even after all of the marching they had done to get here.

She was tiny though, she was actually shorter than Ben. But she was tough and she was making a good swimmer out of Matt. He had just swam across the whole creek. "Good job son!" Tom said.

"I'd like a hug, Dad." Matt said with a mischievous grin on his face, as he came onto the bank.

"Oh no! I have to get back and I don't want to be wet." Tom stood up. Sarah smiled at him and he couldn't help smiling back. He also couldn't help noticing the way Ben was watching Sarah as she came out of the water. Then he realized Matt was inching toward him and had to jump back.

"No, I mean it!" Tom was walking backwards to get away from Matt. Everyone was laughing as Matt started chasing his Dad back to the school.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Sarah was tired. Teaching Matt to swim had been exhausting. But it had been worth it. Matt was more confident now, and she had given Ben something to do for a few hours that didn't involve a gun. She liked the idea of the teens being comfortable with guns and knowing how to fire them. She just wasn't sure about putting them on patrol.

"What's up with you Red? You usually work faster than that." Pope was cooking the chicken as she was opening boxes of noodles. Well, he was cooking the last of the chicken and a couple of doves. Tector had used the last of the bird shot yesterday to bag four doves. There would only be enough meat for the soldiers, but at least there was plenty of Alfredo sauce for everyone.

"I'm a little tired today. I've spent the last two days teaching Matt to swim." Pope looked rough, but he could cook and he could carry a conversation. Seeing as how it took three hours to make dinner for everyone Sarah was glad she had someone to talk to.

"You mean the littlest Mason?" Pope asked. He was across the kitchen at the stove.

"Yeah. He's a cutie. And a good kid." Sarah smiled as she spoke. She had liked Matt before, but when she found out that he had looked out for Connor while she was gone, she decided she liked him even more. Of course, he came from good stock.

"Too bad he's a Mason." Pope grunted. Sarah wasn't sure exactly what it was that made John Pope hate Tom Mason so much, but she had accepted that it was the way he felt. She tried to steer the conversation away from The Masons when it was her turn to help Pope in the kitchen. They seemed to be on her mind a lot lately.

"So is that the last of the meat? There's nothing else?" Sarah asked Pope. "Yep."

"Hhmmm..." Sarah was thinking. "I wonder how far out I'd have to walk to see some deer? I know they have been seeing rabbits but no one's mentioned deer."

"That's because they're too loud. You got to be quiet to sneak up on deer. Rabbits are dumb and too trustworthy. It's not hard to get within shooting distance of them." Pope was convinced he was smarter than any of the soldiers. The bad thing was, he might be right.

"How do you know they're too loud?" Sarah asked. "You've not been out with them."

"They were loud enough that we heard them while making our daily rounds." Pope said with a raised eyebrow.

Sarah nodded. He was smart, there was no getting around that.

* * *

"Don't give me that Weaver. You can spare me three bullets." Tom was walking into the classroom that Dan Weaver was using for his command center, when he heard Sarah's voice. He wondered what she was up to now.

"The sound of a rifle shot carries for miles. You go out there shooting at everything that moves, and you'll draw Mechs down on us." Tom didn't know why Weaver argued with her. She always had good intentions and she usually got her way.

"I know for a fact that you haven't seen Mechs within ten miles of us for a week. I talked to Tector this morning." She also did her homework. Tom was just inside the door, trying to go unnoticed when Weaver asked for his opinion.

"Tom, one of your civilians wants to go hunting by themselves. She only asking for three bullets and a hunting rifle, but one shot is all it might take to get the enemy's attention. Things are quiet right now. I don't know that I want to do anything to jeopardize that." Weaver thought Tom would agree.

"Normally I would agree with you." Started Tom. "But the civilians haven't had meat in a week and now there's no meat for the soldiers either. We're going to have to do something."

"That something would be me. I'm a good shot. I can go by myself if Tom, or someone, will babysit Connor. I'll take one day, maybe less, and I will bring back _something_ to eat. Otherwise, you may have a riot on your hands." Sarah was not relenting. People were hungry, and since she was one of the main cooks they had complained to her.

"First of all, _Tom_ is not a babysitter. Second of all, can you even carry a deer by yourself?" Sarah paused for a moment, she hadn't thought about that, but she wasn't going to back down now. "Deer are not that big. And after it's been field dressed I can carry it."

Weaver gave her a doubtful look, so Tom spoke up. "Well then, how about I go with her and help her carry whatever she kills? I will keep an eye out for Mechs and Skitters. We can walk 10 miles out, and if we _do_ attract trouble, we can hole up and lay low. We won't bring it this way."

Weaver just stared at Tom. His Second in Command was supposed to back him up, not make him second guess himself. "Do you really want to go off on a wild goose chase?" Weaver asked, giving Tom a chance to back out.

"We need meat. People are going to start to get weak without protein. So unless you've got a crop of tofu that I don't know about, I think I'll go out with Sarah tomorrow. Hal and Maggie and Ben can watch Connor and Matt, we'll come back late tomorrow night."

Captain Weaver shook his head. "Fine. But do not get killed, or call attention to yourself."

* * *

Sarah had managed to get her hands on the Model Five Remington again, and Tom had insisted on it being fully loaded. He took the AK that he normally carried plus the .45 in the holster on his thy. Sarah still had the pocket knife, but she tried to keep it a secret that she had it.

They had started out at 5am, hoping to get out away from camp and to get on a high spot to look for game around the time the animals would be bedding down or waking up for the day. Dusk and dawn are prime hunting times. Sarah's green shirt had dried and she was wearing it along with a dark green military jacket and blue jeans. He had on a black coat with a black scarf to hide his white shirt.

They hadn't talked much after they left camp. The whole point was to be quiet and sneak up on some game. They saw a rabbit around 10am but Sarah shook her head. "Let's walk further out and try to find a deer. We can come back for the rabbit." She said quietly.

Around noon they found a small stream. They were sticking to the wooded areas. They sat down under a tree, which roots stuck out of the ground and made for good seats. They had brought granola bars to eat so that they wouldn't have to make a fire. They each had a canteen.

They sat down together on one of the roots. Sarah had taken a few bites of her peanut granola bar when Tom broke the silence. "It's really quiet and still out here. I'd forgotten that quiet could be good."

Sarah smiled. "Yeah, with eight or more kids running around, and the soldiers practicing their drills it's not very quiet back at camp."

"I can see why men would want to hunt. It's quiet, you're doing something useful, and it actually takes some skill doesn't it?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, it does. Hopefully we can walk through the underbrush and scare up a deer this afternoon."

"I thought deer came out at dusk and dawn?" Tom asked through a mouthful of granola.

"Yes, but they bed down at noon, in the dense thickets. If we walk through those areas we might find one." Sarah explained, still being quiet.

"Oh. That's a good idea. I'm glad you're around. I mean, I'm glad someone's around who knows this stuff. I don't know anything about hunting. I can cook spaghetti though." Tom's rambling stopped.

Sarah took a drink from her canteen. "So you don't know how to field dress a deer?"

"Does that involve putting the deer in a camo colored dress?"

Sarah laughed so hard she almost choked on her last bite. "No. No, it does not involve dresses at all. It's the way you gut the deer so that the meat doesn't spoil before you get back to camp. To be honest, I had to ask Tector to remind me how to do it. It's been a while since I have been hunting with my Dad."

"We'll I appreciate the honesty. I was beginning to think there wasn't anything you couldn't do. I mean, you cook, you take care of the kids, you go on scouts. I keep looking for a cape under that coat."

Sarah was looking shyly at the ground. "Ha! If anyone's hiding a cape it's you. You find huge warehouses on your scouts. And kill Skitters barehanded. I was beginning to think those things didn't die. Then you drug one in. I will never forget that. Then you saved us all when Pope's gang tried to take the GTO. You're the one that's amazing."

Now Sarah was looking Tom in the eye. Tom was surprised. He had no idea that anyone looked up to him. Him getting caught by Pope had put them all in severe danger. But he wasn't going to point that out right now, not with the way Sarah was looking at him.

"You taught Matt how to swim. And you're good to Ben. You talk to him and include him when others won't even look at him. That matters to me more than anything else." Tom was talking in that low gravelly voice again, the one that made her shiver.

"He's just a boy. But he's a good boy. It obvious he still has human affections."

"Yeah, I think he may have a little crush on you." Tom smiled, but Sarah looked surprised.

"Oh no. I'll have to break his little heart." Sarah looked down at her shoes then back up at Tom. "He's not the person I'm crushing on."

At that point Tom decided there had been enough talking. He kissed Sarah, soft at first. When she leaned in and grabbed his shoulders he took her in his arms, and kissed her passionately. He had felt very alone since his wife had died. But maybe, just maybe, he had found a partner in Sarah. Someone he could trust with the kids, someone that could stand the hardships that this life would bring.

He put one hand in her beautiful hair and the other one on her hip. He realized that he could have sat there kissing her all day. He could have even done more than kiss her, but that would be moving a bit fast. So after a moment Tom suggested they get moving.

"Putting a deer in a dress isn't going to be easy and we need to start heading back." Sarah laughed. Tom slung his rifle over his back and took her hand. They held hands for quite a while.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"I have to admit I am impressed. And you didn't shoot any of these?" Weaver looked over at Tom. He had been checking on things outside when Tom and Sarah walked back into camp.

"Nope. An AK is not an ideal hunting weapon. She shot the deer, the turkey and both rabbits. And she didn't waste a shot either. I think we need to send her out to hunt more regularly." Tom was barely able to contain how proud he was of Sarah.

"If she can bring back deer without attracting Mechs, yes. Yes, I think this might become a regular thing." Weaver nodded his head. They were standing at the back of the school. Tom had sent two soldiers to get Pope so he and Sarah could start cleaning the animals. The temperature was cool enough now that the deer could hang on a tree for two days to season, but they would cook the turkey and the rabbits tonight.

"Although she couldn't have carried it all by herself. So someone should go with her, and I have no problem doing that." Tom kept a straight face as he said it. He hoped Weaver couldn't tell how much he wanted to be with Sarah.

"People need more than rice to eat. I hope Pope knows how to cook a turkey." Weaver was actually smiling. So Sarah decided to press her luck.

"You're right; he does need more than rice. There was still food at that Dollar General Store, we just couldn't carry it all. I was hoping that here soon you would let a small group of us go back. Since the Mechs have been quiet, maybe we could take one of the trucks, at least halfway."

Weaver pursed his lips and stared at the animals that lay at his feet. Sarah was afraid he was going to say no, but he actually said "Alright. If you're going to take the Ford pickup truck three or four of you should be enough."

Sarah's smile was huge, and contagious. Tom was smiling too. Weaver thought for a moment that he saw a look pass between them, but brushed the thought aside. "You want to take Anthony?"

"Yes, we will ask Anthony. This should be a quick easy run." Tom said. "We might take Ben. He wants to be out doing 'something' and he has already been there before." The truck they were going to take was a Ford long bed that had a backseat, so 4 people would fit.

Weaver nodded. Yep, there was definitely something going on there. "Alright. Well I would suggest that you check on all of your civvies and make sure there are no needs or complaints, and maybe give yourselves a day's rest before heading out. Although with fresh meat, I can't see how there'd be any complaints."

Sarah chuckled. "You really don't talk to the civvies much, do you?"

* * *

Sarah couldn't remember the last time she had seen so many people smile. To her surprise no one complained, even though it was almost midnight before the turkey was done. Just smelling the turkey cooking seemed to make people happy. Pope had cut it up and basted it in some cheap wine that they had miraculously kept the soldiers from drinking.

Most of them had seen the deer hanging in the tree and knew that they would have venison in two days. Pope, having been actually certified in Culinary Arts, knew how to cook rabbit and it was delicious. He and Sarah also cooked up the rest of the stuffing that they didn't need for the turkey and served it ahead of time. That had helped, as not everyone had to wait for the turkey to get done.

It was a good night until Sarah made a mistake with Pope. Sarah was tired from all of the walking, and plucking the feathers off of the turkey. She forgot that she was not supposed to give Pope details about what the 2nd Mass was doing.

"I think I'm going to get some seeds when we go back to the Dollar General. What goes best with deer? Thyme, rosemary? There were some spices left on the shelf but if we are going to winter here, it would be great to plant some seeds and have fresh herbs come spring." She inquired as they were cleaning up the kitchen.

"Rosemary is good, but what Dollar General are you talking about?" Sarah froze in the middle of wiping down the counter. Her back was to Pope but he had turned around from the other side of the kitchen to look at her. He saw her freeze and laughed.

"Oops! You probably weren't supposed to tell me that were you? I haven't traveled very far to the west. So I'm guessing it's that direction. You found one that wasn't cleaned out?"

Sarah stood up straight and turned around to look at Pope to judge his reaction to what she was saying. "It was in the middle of a plaza. It was hard to see, the boys found it by accident."

Pope was still smirking. "What all was there? I mean, I can work with a lot of different things."

"Well, it's a Dollar General so there aren't any knives or guns. There was a spinning rack that had packets of seeds on them. I don't remember what all there was. I know there were a few bottles of Rosemary, Thyme, Sage and Lemmon Pepper that we left behind." She stopped and stared at Pope.

He looked thoughtful, then said, "You know I think the best thing would be for me to go with you. I'm getting a little stir crazy here anyway."

"Yeah, Weaver's not going to let that happen." It was Sarah's turn to laugh. But she was nervous. Would Weaver be mad when he found out Sarah had slipped? She was going to have to tell him. She hoped Pope wouldn't make too much trouble.

"Ask. He seems to say yes to anything you ask for. Ask him." Pope still had a smirk on his face. Sarah was getting really annoyed, but decided to let it go. The kitchen was clean and the turkey was almost done. She finished wiping down the counter.

"You should know that when Weaver makes up his mind, that there is little anyone can do to change it. I'll ask him when I see him tomorrow." Pope didn't say anything else and Sarah left the kitchen without another word.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Sarah sat in the front of the Ford in the passenger seat. Tom had wanted to drive. Anthony and Ben were sitting in the bed of the truck. The backseat of the Ford was small as it was an older truck, and Anthony and Ben could not fit their rifles in with them, so they had decided to ride in the back with their rifles. They had set off at 5am as the lookouts had figured out they never saw beamers at that time.

Tom and Sarah had rode in silence for the first twenty minutes of the trip. Weaver had been very annoyed that Sarah had mentioned the Dollar General store to Pope. He hadn't said much about it because he didn't need to. Sarah knew that Pope had captured Tom's group when they went to the Armory. She didn't know all of the details but she knew it had been a tense situation and that Pope had threatened to kill several of them, including Hal.

Weaver and Tom, and some of the others, were afraid that at some point Pope would try something, and they didn't want him to have information when he did. Sarah had thought Pope seemed content to have a warm bed and to be cooking for people. After the other night she wasn't so sure. Pope was nice to some people, like her and Matt, but being restless might make him do something stupid. He had created the Mech bullets but hadn't been given the opportunity to shoot them at actual Mechs.

Sarah turned her attention back to the man in the truck with her. "I wish it was warm again, so we could go swimming. I really enjoy swimming. I hope Matt doesn't forget how."

"He had a pretty good teacher, I bet he'll remember." Tom gave her a quick smile and then looked back to the road.

He wasn't angry so that was good. They weren't able to have a lot of private moments. There were always kids running up to Sarah to bring her a wild flower or a pretty rock, or a civilian needing Tom's advice would start talking to them the moment they tried to be alone. The kiss in the woods on the hunting trip had been the only one.

Sarah had realized after the last food run that she couldn't keep crying over her husband. It was time to move on in every part of her life. She had to accept the way things were. People were dead and gone and nothing would bring them back. She wondered if Tom was ready to move on. She wondered how his kids and Connor would handle them wanting to be with each other.

"I'm glad we're taking the truck this time. Walking back with all of that weight on your back is the hardest part." Sarah didn't know what to say, she wanted to take the opportunity to talk to him while she had it.

"Really? Not the stress that a Mech or skitter might walk around a corner and see you?" Tom asked.

"That is the part that's scary. The _hard _part is carrying the weight." Sarah replied.

Tom nodded. "Carrying the weight is hard." He said it aloud but it was like he was talking to himself.

"But you do it well." Sarah's soft, knowing, voice dug deep into his soul. She always spoke the truth.

Tom smiled a tight smile. "Do you think so? Sometimes I wonder if I am. I've got my 17 year old carrying an automatic weapon every day, my 15 year old has alien spikes sticking out of his back and I have only kissed my 9 year old good night, one night this week. I've almost gotten them killed several times..."

"Stop. 95% of the US population is dead. We are alive after encountering Skitters and Mechs several times. You are doing a good job."

Sarah wasn't in the mood for self-pity. Tom was a good man and he had done well with what he had been given. He could have hid, he could have refused to let his kids go to the front lines, instead he had stood with the soldiers when he was needed.

"Thank you. It bothers me every time we lose a soldier, or almost lose someone. But I guess people are going to keep dying, we just have to keep living."

"That's right. Life has to go on." Sarah was quiet for a moment, wondering if she should stop. But then she realized they wouldn't have this much privacy for a while.

"Speaking of keeping going... Where are _we _going?"

"I thought you knew which way it was." Tom said trying to feign innocence. Sarah gave him a "come on" look and he laughed and said "I don't know. Where do you want to go? Do you want me to move my cot next to yours when we get back? Do you want me to sit by you sometimes when we eat, or offer to go out hunting with you sometimes? Or do you just want to go to the Dollar Store and back?"

Sarah stayed quiet unsure of what to say, so Tom continued, "Do you want me to hold your hand when you're scared? Do you just want me to make sure you and the kids have everything you need? Do you want me to tell my boys that I care about you and I want you and Connor to be with us? Because once I say that there is no going back.

And what if they react badly to that? What if they yell at me and tell me I'm a bad dad? I don't know what I'll do! I don't know what I _should _do. What do you want to do?"

Sarah took comfort in the fact that Tom had obviously given this some thought. She had been thinking about it too and she thought Tom deserved an honest response so she told him what she thought.

"I like your boys. And I know that I really like being with you. I would like to wake up next to you in the morning. I would like to eat with you every day. But will Connor accuse me of trying to replace his father? Will people think I'm a slut and I haven't waited long enough?

What if I wait two or three more months before I let you hold my hand in public, or kiss me in front of the kids, and you get shot by a Mech and you never realize how much I- I- like you..."

"Will you promise me one thing?" Tom looked at her for a moment. "What?" She asked.

"Will you promise me that if I get shot by a Mech, whether it's today or tomorrow or next month, will you promise to look out for my boys? Will you make sure they stay a family and that when there are schools again that they finish their education?"

"Yes. I will hound them until they can't stand it anymore. I will make them go to school and I will remind them that they need to stick together. That it's what you would have wanted. No matter what happens with us, or between us, I will always encourage the boys, ALL of the boys to educate themselves and to look out for each other. I'll check in on them and make sure that they have what they need."

Tom nodded satisfied and relieved. "Okay." They rode in silence for a moment, then Tom said, "Please try not to get yourself killed. I will look out for Connor if something happens, but I can't take on seven other kids. You probably shouldn't be out doing missions like this. I should probably leave you at home."

Tom looked at her, expecting her to immediately be angry and to start yelling. She sighed, cocked her head and thought for a moment.

"It is dangerous for both of us to be out here together if we are each other's fall back. Maybe, from now on, if I'm going to go this far out, you should be back at base with the kids. And if you're going to go on a dangerous mission, I'll stay with the kids until you get back. That is probably the smart way to do things honestly."

Tom smiled and nodded his head. "_That's _why I like you. You are smart and you put others before yourself. I think I'll talk to my boys when we get back. See how they would feel about you becoming a bigger part of their lives."

Sarah smiled. She hadn't realized how much she had wanted that until he said it. She didn't realize that being with Tom made her feel so safe. She took care of Matt a lot during the day. It wouldn't be a big change for him, and Hal was in the field most of the time, but how would Ben feel about this?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a bright blue light.

**Author Note:**

I think I am going to do 9 chapters. Leave me some reviews and let me know what you think. I think that the point of Fan Fiction is to put our twist on the story, so I'm not going to stick to the storyline. I'm going to write something different with some of my favorite characters.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The Beamer flew past them as Tom slammed on the brakes. Sarah jumped out of the truck and looked into the bed, but Anthony and Ben were jumping out, so she ran for some nearby trees. As she reached the trees she heard footsteps behind her. Tom, Anthony and Ben had followed her.

"What now?" Sarah whispered. Anthony gave her a sign to keep quiet. They waited and watched together as the Beamer came back and blasted the pickup truck. Sarah wanted to run, but no one else was moving. She could tell by the sound that the spaceship was leaving so she stood still. Luckily she had grabbed her rifle by the strap when she ran out of the truck and the men had done the same.

"Were they targeting the truck? Why didn't they come after us?" Ben asked out loud.

"I wonder if they are using heat sensing technology?" Anthony said. He looked at Tom. "I don't know. But since we were spotted I think we should go back. The food will still be there later."

"Weaver's gonna kill me." Sarah said as she started walking back in the direction they had come.

"Why? It's not your fault." Ben was always quick to defend Sarah. Probably because she was nice to him.

"It was my idea to come for the extra stuff. I hope we don't get tracked back to base."

"We'll walk in a wide circle. We'll take our time it will be fine." Anthony was trying to reassure Sarah, but he knew Weaver was going to be mad about them losing the truck.

They walked in silence for quite a while after that. It was light out when they came across a hay field. Anthony and Tom were trying to decide if it was safe to walk across the open field when Sarah struck out across it without saying anything. Tom told her to wait but she just kept walking.

There was a tractor that had a bailer behind it and several bales had already been made. The farmer had made three rounds before something had stopped him. Tom could guess what that had been. But he couldn't guess why Sarah was walking up to the tractor.

They followed her across the field. "Sarah what are you doing?" Anthony asked her.

She didn't reply, she had her back to them. She turned to stare at the engine of the tractor. Tom realized that she was about to cry.

"Where is he?" Sarah managed to choke out. The guys stared at her, unsure of whom she was asking about. "Where is he? He should be here! All of the hay isn't in yet. Where is he?" Tears were streaming down her face now, and she was hysterical. She was gesturing at the tractor.

Tom walked to her slowly, and put his hand on her shoulder. "There's no one here Sarah."

Sarah took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her face. She seemed to be calming down. She shook her head 'yes' and turned as if she was going to leave. Tom started to walk away. Sarah looked up at the tractor seat and her face fell. She began to sob, loudly. Tom spun back around.

"Sarah! What's wrong?" Tom asked her. You could hear the panic in his voice. Sarah usually stayed calm. She had an answer for everything, but right now she was completely emotional.

"Sarah what is wrong?" Anthony asked. Sarah reached up near the tractor seat and picked up a teal colored plastic jug with both of her hands. She cradled it in her arms and sobbed.

"He should be here! He left his water, he's coming back." Sarah shook the jug and they could hear the sloshing of water. "See? He should be here. Where is HE!?"

Suddenly it dawned on Tom who Sarah was looking for. She had mentioned growing up on a farm, that her dad was a farmer who had taken her hunting. The stress of what had happened, had finally hit Sarah. For a moment she had no one that needed looking after and she had time to think. Sarah fell to the ground as if the water jug she was holding weighed fifty pounds. She was sobbing hysterically.

"Sarah" Tom spoke softly. "Sarah, he's not here and he's not coming back. We have to go. We have people waiting on us."

Ben and Anthony were looking back and forth between each other and Sarah. They didn't understand who Sarah was looking for or what was happening. Ben spoke trying to help.

"Sarah, we have to go. We can't let the skitters catch us out in the open. There is no one here. We _have to go_."

Sarah looked up at Ben and stopped crying. She shook her head yes and wiped her face on the sleeve of her jacket. She looked at the jug, and then put it down on the ground. She stood up and took a deep breath.

"Are you okay now?" Anthony asked softly.

"Yes. I'm sorry. Let's get going." Sarah turned and stared walking diagonally across the field. Anthony look at Tom and Tom mouthed "Later" and took off after Sarah.

* * *

More bad news awaited them when they made it back to base. Pope had managed to work his window apart with a butter knife he had stolen from the kitchen. He was gone.

"If he heads toward that Dollar General he is going to get hit by a Mech. I wouldn't worry too much." Tom said to Weaver. Weaver nodded.

He had known something was wrong when they had walked back into camp. He could see Sarah was upset before Tom had spoken and told him about the Beamer, so he just started telling them about Pope. After they had caught everybody up Weaver told them to go to bed.

Sarah walked slowly toward the room with her cot. She just wanted to crash. But Tom stopped her a few rooms short. "Hang on."

He peeked into his room, and then walked down to where Sarah usually slept. He came back carrying her cot and pillow. He put it in his room. Sarah walked in after him, too tired to argue but worried about where Connor was. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room she could see that Connor had pulled his cot up next to the cot where Matt was sleeping. There was a divider then another cot with a sleeping figure that could only be Hal. Ben had laid his rifle down by a couch and was quietly laying down on it.

Tom was on the opposite side of the room from Ben and was putting two cots side by side. One was Sarah's. Tears came to her eyes. She held her breath and calmed herself down. She didn't want to wake up all of the kids. Tom walked to her and hugged her. She leaned against him for a minute to steady herself.

Tom kissed her on the forehead then turned from her to hang his coat on the back of the couch where Ben was laying. Ben had turned his back to them and was facing the couch. Tom took Sarah's coat from her shoulders slowly and quietly, then laid it on the corner of the couch on top of his coat. Sarah took off her shoes leaving them in the floor.

He took Sarah's hand and led her to their cots. She laid down on her stomach with her face on the pillow and he covered her with a blanket. Then Tom took his shoes off, laid down and covered himself up. He stuck his hand out to touch Sarah's back. He rubbed her back until her breathing became steady and slow.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Tom opened his eyes. It was very bright in the classroom. He sat up with a start. How long had he slept? He looked around the room. Ben, Connor, Matt and Hal were all gone. Sarah lay next to him sleeping on her cot. He stood up quietly.

Sarah had been going nonstop and needed some rest. Apparently the kids had realized that and had let her sleep. Tom was surprised no one had woken him up, but he wasn't going to complain. He actually felt rested.

Today was going to be an interesting day. How long would he be able to avoid Hal and Ben? Did they really need to have a conversation? He was the Dad after all, he made the rules. Tom headed into the hallway and had just shut the door to their room when Hal started walking down the hallway toward him.

"Hey old man, you awake? Weaver wants to see you."

"Yeah, I'm surprised the kids let us sleep." Tom spoke quietly as he eyed Hal.

"Well, I figured you guys could use some sleep after yesterday. When I got up, I got the kids up and took them to breakfast. They're in class now. Ben was up before I was, helping out Scott."

Tom and Hal had started walking toward Weaver's headquarters as they spoke. Tom thought Hal seemed normal, not mad or distracted.

"Okay. Let Sarah sleep for as long as she will, she had a rough day yesterday." Tom paused.

"So... Is she gonna sleep in our room every night?" asked Hal with a raised eyebrow.

"I think so." was all Tom could think to say.

Hal nodded and smiled at his Dad. "Mom always swore you had a thing for redheads. Connor and Matt have become pretty good friends, if they get to sleep together every night they'll probably love it. I don't care either way. If you've found someone who can stand your nerdiness you should probably hang onto her."

Tom smiled and laughed. His oldest son was growing up and he was proud of what he was growing into.

* * *

Sarah had gotten the very last bowl of oatmeal when she woke up. Then little Callie had limped up to her complaining that her leg hurt. She had fallen at the recess time. So Sarah walked her down to the room they were using as the infirmary. The door was open so they went in and sat down on a bed.

After Dr. Glass examined Callie, she prescribed some Tylenol and was about to send them on their way when a man and his wife and son walked in, and shut the door. Sarah wondered what was so urgent because they seemed to be in a hurry. Dr. Glass had started to ask why they had shut the door and what was wrong, when the man pulled a handgun from inside of his jacket. Then he took a bag from his shoulder and thrust it toward Dr. Glass.

"Put some pain pills and antibiotics in here now!" The man spoke quietly. His wife was guarding the door and a boy that must have been their son stood next to her.

"What are you doing!?" Sarah demanded. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Shut up! You be quiet! It's not safe here. Spiked kids walking around, Mechs shooting at us. We're leaving and we need something that we can trade for food and other supplies. So put some pills in here and we'll be in our way."

Sarah was angry; with this man, and with herself. Since they were inside the school she had left her handgun in her backpack, which was in the room she had slept in last night. Her knife was in her pants pocket but it would do her no good. Dr. Glass was scared. She stepped over to the medicine cabinet and slowly started putting pill bottles into the bag he had handed to her.

"You're taking medicine from children. This is ridiculous! You cannot make it on your own, you need to stay with a group." Sarah was trying to reason with him.

"Shut up. We're leaving and we're taking some medicine with us." He seemed determined, but Sarah wondered if he had it in him to actually shoot a person. She stepped in between Dr. Glass and the man. She looked at him with an expression that told the man just how mad she was.

"Lady if you don't get out of the way..." The man didn't finish his sentence, but he put the barrel of the gun to Sarah's forehead. She stood still, being unsure how far she could push him.

"Don't hurt her Bill!" the wife yelled. "Here! Take this and go!" Dr. Glass reached around Sarah and handed Bill the meds. He turned and ran for the door. His wife opened the door and pushed their son out of it. The three of them ran from the building together.

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief before running into the hallway after them. They had already ran through a door to the outside. Their running had attracted the attention of Captain Weaver who was outside in the yard. Sarah yelled to Weaver "Stop them! They stole medicine from the infirmary!"

Bill and his family were out of the school yard and in the street. Tom was in the yard, he took his rifle in his hand and ran after Weaver, who had tapped Anthony on the shoulder and told him "Follow me" as he ran after Bill.

As they raced into the street they saw that Bill's wife had tripped and fallen. Bill was trying to pull her up when Weaver yelled "Stop right there. Drop that bag or I'll be forced to shoot."

Billy's bravery faded when he looked up to see Captain Weaver and Anthony pointing automatic rifles at him. When Bill saw Tom run up behind them, he knew he was done.

"I do not want my family here anymore. I don't think it's safe." Bill said weakly.

"Fine! Leave! But you don't get to take anything with you!" Weaver yelled.

Bill dropped the bag and backed down the street while holding his wife's hand. After they were out of sight Tom went and picked up the bag.

* * *

Tom's eyes were wide with shock. "She did what?!"

After Tom, Weaver and Anthony had gotten the drugs back, Tom had carried the bag back to the infirmary. Anne was telling Tom and Anthony what had happened, how Sarah had tried to stand up to Bill.

"Wow. That took some balls." Anthony said obviously impressed. Tom was not impressed, he was in disbelief. Sarah could have gotten herself killed.

After they made sure Anne was okay, Anthony went back outside and Tom headed to the classroom where Sarah might be. Anne told him she had taken Callie into a classroom to calm her down. She was really upset because she had seen Bill put the gun to Sarah's head. The other children had been at the far end of the school and didn't yet know what had happened. Sarah was telling Callie that they didn't need to know and she should keep the incident to herself so that the other children wouldn't get scared.

As Tom rounded a corner he saw Sarah standing in the hallway. She opened a door and Callie went inside. There were sounds of children for a moment then she shut the door and looked at Tom. He motioned her to him. Sarah walked slowly toward Tom. He reached out his hand to her and she took it in one of hers. Tom pulled her to him and hugged her.

He whispered in her ear "That was incredibly stupid. No amount of drugs or supplies are worth your life."

Sarah smiled weakly while snuggling up to Tom's shoulder. "I got mad and just reacted. I didn't think he had the guts to pull the trigger. I thought maybe I could stop him."

"Please don't do that again. I know that you're tough, you don't have to keep trying to prove it. Other people know that you're tough. We know that you would do anything for the kids. But I'm here too, and I'll help you and do whatever it takes to get them what they need. It doesn't always need to be you that does the sacrificing."

Sarah was trying not to cry. She looked at the floor and took a deep breath. She was so touched to know that she had someone she could count on, someone who would stand beside her. In this new world, it was even more important to have a partner. Tom put his fingers under her chin and lifted her face up to his and kissed her softly on the mouth.

Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck, and for a moment they just enjoyed being in each other's arms.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Author Note: It is hard to know how to end this, because I know where the story lines could go. I have decided to end it with a song Fic. I was going to post this by its self, but if you haven't read this story then you don't know who Sarah is, so I'll use it for the final chapter for this story. It is called "Ben's Talent" and I changed it a little to fit in with this story.**_

_**If you would like to see a chapter story centered around Sarah/Tom/Ben in Charleston leave a review, I have a story floating around in my head. **_

_**If you would like to see a story centered around Sarah/Tom/Pope with some Ben and Matt scenes in Charleston I could write that too. Leave a review and if enough people ask I may write a second Sarah Waters story.**_

_Disclaimer: I only own Sarah and this chapter, the rest of this story belongs to Falling Skies Creators. The Eli Young Band plays and owns the song 'Guinevere'._

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**Chapter Nine**

Since the weather had been good, a small group from the 2nd Massachusetts had gone on a long food scout. They were running low on spices like salt and pepper, and flour was running low. Sarah thought that finding a few more toys to bring back to the kids couldn't hurt, since they would be settled there for a while. She had convinced the men to let her go.

It hadn't taken much to convince them, since they all knew she was an excellent shot. Ben had offered to let her ride with him. Sarah was glad; she figured it meant he wasn't mad at her and Tom for pursuing a relationship. It had been a month since Tom had pulled Sarah's cot into their room. He had talked to Ben about it the day after. Ben had obviously been unhappy at first, but maybe he was over it now.

Captain Weaver had decided to go along to remind him what the layout of the land looked like. It hadn't rained in several days so they figured they would get back with the food without getting rained on.

They figured wrong.

They were about 10 miles away from the school when they heard thunder. A few minutes later and they saw storms clouds rolling in from the south. Then the rain let loose and it was freezing cold. No one stopped, they just slowed the bikes and squinted. But when the hail started, Weaver headed towards some trees near a bluff. Everyone followed.

Sarah jumped off the bike and ran to the side of the bluff, hoping that there might be a slight edge that would give them a little bit of shelter from the hail. She ran right up to the rock. It seemed to curve inward so she moved down a little trying to find the deepest part of the curve. The others, Ben, Weaver, Anthony, Lyle and Tector followed her.

At the deepest part of the curve was a small shelf. A piece of hail had hit Sarah in the head and it was really hurting. She didn't want to get hit again. She was still carrying the heavy pack of food on her back and was worried about it getting wet so she sat down under the small shelf. To her surprise it wasn't just a shelf, but an entrance to a cave.

"Hey are you okay?" Ben was yelling at her because the sound of hail falling made it hard to hear.

"I think there's a cave down here! Hang on!" Sarah began to crawl into the hole. She went slowly so she didn't scrape the backpack. There seemed to be room enough for her to fit.

"What's she doing?" yelled Weaver as he saw Sarah begin to disappear. He walked over to where she had been standing.

"Sarah wait! You don't know what's in there!" Weaver yelled to her. But Sarah could see that the tunnel she was in, opened up to a big cavern. She realized that they were all going to get hit in the head if they didn't find some shelter. She heard noise behind her and looked over her shoulder to see Ben. She felt better knowing the young man was behind her so she crawled into the cavern. It was warm and dry and there was plenty of room for everyone to fit.

"Tell them there's no sign of any animals and to come in." Sarah sat down on a big rock and waited for the others to make their way in.

Weaver had barely glanced around the small cave when he looked at Sarah and his expression changed. He walked toward her as Ben started to walk toward her. She wondered why they were looking at her with so much concern.

"What happened to your head?" Weaver asked Sarah. He reached out a hand and touched her forehead. Sarah was shocked that he was touching her.

"I got hit by a piece of hail. Do I have a bruise?" Sarah asked.

"Tector you got some gauze? Sarah has a nasty gash on her head." Tector handed Weaver a small amount of gauze and stood by with a roll of medical tape in his hand. Weaver took out his pocket knife and cut a smaller piece from the strip he had.

"Yeah, that's _real_ sanitary." said Ben. He hadn't moved from in front of Sarah. Ben was 5'11 and Sarah only 5'2 but Tom had explained to Ben that she was far too old for him, and that he would eventually find a girl his own age. He hadn't wanted to hurt his son, but he and Sarah had a lot in common. They understood each other's references and had been through the same things. They were both parents that had lost their spouses. Tom told Ben that he couldn't understand what that was like.

Ben had told his Dad that he didn't think any girl would want him EVER and that if his Dad liked Sarah they should try to be happy together. There weren't very many nice girls left in this world. There weren't many girls left _period_ and if Sarah and his Dad had found something he wasn't going to stand in the way.

"Do I really need a bandage?" Sarah hated using what little supplies they had on herself.

"Yes, you do. Here, hold still." Weaver ran his fingers though Sarah's hair, pushing it back from her face. Then he took the small piece of gauze and wiped the blood from Sarah's forehead. She tried not to wince. He threw the bloodied piece of gauze behind Sarah on the floor of the cave.

"Did any of you get hit?" Sarah looked at Ben, he was okay. Some other people called out that they were okay. Ben was pulling at the guitar strap on his shoulder. He had found a guitar and insisted on taking it home. He said that he could play it.

Tector spoke, "You better let him put a bandage on you and have Dr. Glass look at that when we get back. I hope you don't need stitches."

Weaver folded up the gauze and pressed it to Sarah's head. He taped it to her head, and tipped her face up to survey his work. Apparently satisfied, he let go of her and walked to a nearby rock and sat down. Ben sat down next to Sarah. Sarah's head was hurting but she didn't want to admit it.

"Thank you." Sarah said while touching the bandage on her forehead. "Don't mention it." Weaver replied.

"So can you play that thing?" Anthony was talking to Ben.

"Yeah. I learned in high school. I don't know very many songs though. I wasn't very good at it, but I can hear in perfect pitch now because of my spikes. I'm hoping I'll be better." Ben was being his shy self, but Anthony pushed some more. "We'll I think we're going to be here for a while. Why don't you play us a song?" Everyone waited for Ben's reply.

"No... I don't think so."

"What songs do you know?" Sarah asked in her soft voice. Ben was quiet by nature but he felt comfortable talking to Sarah. He could see why his Dad loved her.

"Well, you guys probably wouldn't like them. They're by a country artist." Ben had learned some country songs for a girl at school. He had found out what her favorite band was and started learning their hit songs, but by the time he had them memorized another boy had already asked her out.

Sarah's face lit up. "I love country music. What artist?"

Ben hesitated. He didn't want to play in front of everyone, as it had been a long time since he had played, but he also liked making Sarah smile. "The Eli Young Band."

Now Tector was excited. "Really!? I like them. I like country music. What song do you know?"

"Well I learned "Guinevere" and "Always the Love Songs"."

"Those are good songs." said Tector.

Sarah could barely hide her smile. "Guinevere is one of my favorite songs. Do you remember it? Can you sing it or just play it?"

"Well I was never much of a singer before, but with the spikes, I can hear in perfect pitch. They allow me to sing better, than before." Ben was looking at Sarah as he talked.

"Well go on! Give it a try!" Tector rarely talked to Ben, and was suspicious of him, but he hadn't heard any music in a long time. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Lyle was telling Ben to go ahead, they wanted to see what he could do. Ben pulled the guitar around to the front of him and tested the guitar to see if it was in tune. After he fixed two strings he began to strum it and Sarah immediately recognized the tune. Then Ben sang:

She's got a bumper like a billboard  
Covered in stickers of her favorite bands  
She's got a handful of records that she turns to  
When she needs to land  
She's a Saturday night parade through the streets  
That all eyes come to see including me

Weaver wasn't saying anything but he began to look at Sarah. For a moment he saw no one else but her. But she didn't realize this because she was staring at Ben's hands as he played.

She carries memories around like souvenirs down in her pockets  
She should have let some go by now but can't seem to drop it  
Says forgiveness ain't nothing but a lifeless tire on the shoulder of her soul  
That never rolls

Then Ben launched into the chorus. He was singing perfectly on key and Sarah was loving it. The others seemed to be liking it too as they were all quiet and listening.

For as much as she stumbled she's runnin'  
For as much as she runs she's still here  
Always hoping to find something quicker than heaven  
To make the damage of her days disappear  
Just like Guinevere

Weaver stopped looking at Sarah, and just looked at his hands. Ben snuck a look at Sarah and continued the song:

She don't hold onto nothin' new for very long  
Yeah she'll write you in as just one more tale  
and then you're gone  
She once fell hard 'cause she dropped her guard  
And no one gets to stay it's just too late

For as much as she stumbled she's runnin'  
For as much as she runs she's still here  
Always hoping to find something quicker than heaven  
To make the damage of her days disappear  
Just like Guinevere  
Oh, Just like Guinevere

Ben was singing with feeling now, and everyone in the room was nodding.

For as much as she stumbled she's runnin'  
For as much as she runs she's still here  
For as much as she stumbled she's runnin'  
For as much as she runs she's still here  
Always hoping to find something quicker than heaven  
To make the damage of her days disappear  
Just like Guinevere

Oh, Just like Guinevere

Oh, lean into me Guinevere

Be mine tonight, Guinevere

Ben stopped and looked up at Sarah. "That was good Ben. I think we'll be here for a while longer, it's still raining. Do you want to play it again?"

Without saying anything Ben started playing again. They listened to him play until the storm ended.

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_AN: If you would like to see the original "Ben's Talent" story, which involved Pope, leave me a review and I may post it as Chapter 10 if enough people are interested._


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